Page Two
6
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Wednesday, November 19, 1969
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednesday, November 19, 1969
arts festival
''
Art V
By SUSAN RODEWALD
The myth of the struggling
artist seems a bit hard to swal-
low in Ann Arbor. Students who
manage to afford University
garrets rarely starve. Beneath
their plaster andtpaint streaked
rags throb souls that are mate-
rially well nourished even if
spiritually unsatiated.
But the reponse to the recent
opening of Art Venture, a gal-
lery at 2030 Packard, indicate:;
this relative financial security
may oddly enough create a new
form of artistic peril. Unlike
most new galleries which must
en tare:
search for patrons, Clark Mat-
thews, the gallery's proprietor,
instead discovered a new prob-
lem-- a lack of interest by the
artists themselves.
Envisioning untapped reser-
voirs of student talent eager to
sell as well as herds of poten-
tial patrons, Matthews had orig-
inally reasoned that Ann Arbor
could become an artistic supply
and demand center.
And by keeping prices within
a moderate range Matthews
planned to provide an outlet
for the work of previously un-
known artists who are usually
shunned by the few local gal-
Defeat
leries in lieu of well-established
local or national artists and
craftsmen.
"By staying under $150 on
most nieces, I hope to establish
a reputation for quality at rea-
sonable rates," Matthews ex-
plains. "If you begin low," he
adds, "you make your work
more generally available and
start to build the following that
creates future demand."
But in the few months since
the gallery was established, Mat-
thews' perceptions of the poten-
tial Ann Arbor market have fail-
ed to materialize. "Fewer artists
than I had expected are willing
of
Affluent
Inertia
to commit themselves," he says.
"I have received no sculpture
so far, and few mixed media
works."
While Matthews admits the
hesitant response may be due to
the newness of the gallery, he
observes that "part of the prob-
lem derives from the artists' fear
of public exposure."
But Matthews' explanation
presents a simplified view of the
situation, Some students have
already discovered private sales
channels. By hawking among
friends or hoarding for the
summer art fair, they avoid the
middleman's commission. Oth-
ers contact local shops such as
Middle Earth and Little Things
which occasionally accept se-
lected crafts for display. The
General Store and The Pot Shop
for example are primarily stock-
ed by student ware.
Those who have not sought
markets often hesitate to en-
danger future reputation by
premature exhibition. For every
romantic idealist thus devoted to
his uncapitalized Art, there are
a dozen rational integrators who
will eventually combine their
talent with business, industry,
or education. In such fields, an
isolated individual style and
vocabulary are often less es-
sential than the ability to com-
municate through established
forms.
Both types frequently regard
art education as an apprentice-
ship in method. They seek fam-
iliarity and facility with mul-
tiple media and techniques, rare-
ly concentrating upon one mode
for long. The relics of their
changes adorn walls of friends'
and relatives' homes or furnish
personal mausoleums, but few
are designed for sale.
Despite these tendencies, Art
Venture houses an exciting
range of new talent, enough to
m a k e Matthews' complaints
seem unjustified. Paintings vary
from the warm pop of Hedy
Brintzinger's massive Leger-like
figures and David Lakish's vivid
acrylic abstracts, to Carolyn
Bloom's serene non-objective
watercolors. Shaggy wall tex-
tiles and pillows by Terri Kazer-
ta and Kathryn Beecher pad a
cell surrounding the sway and
jingle of their free-hanging
woven Bell Cages.
One of the most startling ob-
jects on view is Matthews' own
creation, a pseudo-sentimental
EUROPE '70
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mo
THE UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN
/ > Ann Arbor
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RING DAY
TODAY
9:00-4:00
at FOLLETT'S
Z
FOLLETT'S BOOKSTORE
322 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
SERVING THE THIRD GENERATION OF AMERICA'S COLLEGE STUDENTS
TWIN
FEATURES
NOW
40M
DIAL
8-64 16
-Daily-Jerry Wechsler
assemblage of Victorian clock
cases, blinking Christmas bulbs,
synthetic flowers and faces.
Eighteen-year-old Carl Johnson
employs more traditional form-
ulae vith expressive grace in
his raku ceramics. Prints by
Rita V. Messenger and Ralph A.
Wolfe ably represent the graphic
arts.
The variety of perception and
technique incorporated in these
works proves that art can sur-
vive even in a midwestern "cul-
ture center." As neccesity de-
serts invention, the student ar-
tist creates or discovers per-
sonal motivation, unique as his
medium and message. Rational
decision may have little influ-
ence upon the process.
-Daily-Jerry Wechsler
-Tcinema-
M adwoman of Chailot
A foolish, shallow
.
r M
"When You paint, you can't
think about reasons. You work
at times with feelings that have
no home in arguments. If you
really thought-about all the
other kids in this school, about
all the other art schools across
the country-- you'd blow yourI
mind. So you don't think. You
keep on working, and you don't
think," Carolyn Bloom explains.I
Such artists have overcome a
foe more fearsome than social
inhibition: Art Venture attests
their defeat of Affluent Inertia.
A.!
u-i
By NEAL GABLER
Before the credits of Mad-
woman of Chaillot, now playing
at the Michigan theatre, a sign
informs the audience, "This is
the story of a triumph of good
over evil. Obviously, it's a fan-
tasy." If you like that, you'll love
the film. If that strikes you as
banal, be forewarned, this film
seems as if it created banality.
You can almost hear the gears
turning in the producer's head,
"This is going to be a GREAT
movie. Lots of stars - Kather-
ine Hepburn, Edith Evans, Dan-
ny Kaye, Richard Chamberlain,
Yul Brynner, good old O s c a r
Holmolka playing a Russian.
Lots of earthy wisdom - 'The
world isn't beautiful any long-
er.' Lots of Significance." And,
my God, Stanley Kramer didn't
even make it!
All of this superficiality con-
cerns a group of evil, evil busi-
nessmen and politicians w h o
are going to dig up Paris to drill
for oil. Here comes Kate to the
rescue. The Madwoman and her
group of good, good common
people thwart the baddies. Paris
is saved. Hooray! I swear that's
the story: it's that bad.
Maybe something could have
been salvaged out of this con-
sidering the brilliant cast. Edith
Evans gives an expertly humor-
ous, if too brief, performance as
one of the Madwoman's senile
cronies that momentarily picks
up the film. But Katherine Hep-
burn is hopelessly miscast. Mad?
Kate Hepburn? I've seen her
give too many tart retorts on the
Late Show to believe she can be
anything but the height of so-
phistication. Richard Chamber-
lain is cast as a student radical.
The rest of the cast is pass-
able. Donald Pleasence stands
out in his splendid sordidness.
And poor Giulietta Massina gets
my sympathy; she has the hard-
est time with the English lang-
uage. The bit players give the
impression that they knew this
was a stupid flick.
I can't really blame the cast,
though. Scenarist Edward An-
halt had the film sabotaged
from the outset. Who can pos-
sibly perform well with drivel
like, "'What do you want - to
change the world?' 'No. I want
a voice for my generation.' 'To
be alive is to be fortunate.' 'The
only hope for order is to keep
the standard citizen computeri-
zed.'" And Danny Kaye deliv-
ers a ten minute sermon attack-
ing the silent majority as face-
less an
most m
Spiro A
It ai
had to
ematog
and Bu
made t
been d
are noI
taste. F
some v
n lemlC INDIA STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
Ann Arborc
Presents
d unfeeling, that will al- -
kgne yo want to b oostDeepavali Celebrations Program
n't all that bad. Someone Variety Extravaganza
good sense to hire cin- and
raphers Claude Renoir _JeIndian Refreshment
urnett Guffey. Whoever FreeI Style
hat decision must h a v e SATURDAY, NOV. 22, at 8 P.M.
ismissed, because there S TRUEBLOOD AUDITOR IUM
other indications of good
Renoir and Guffe" make Nfentbers 50c Othcrs7 75
ery beautiful scenes, us- """
ing natural lighting effective-
ly. Bryan Forbes' direction is
most often conventional, occas-
sionally clumsy.
Madwoman of Chaillot is an
ambitious film. It tries to char-I
acterize and condemn a mod-
ern society in which the mad
are saner than the alleged sane.
For Forbes, Anhalt and Co. .lack
the insight to create anything
more than a foolish, eclectic,
shallow, platitudinous polemic
that rings as false as a wooden
nickel. In other words, wait for
this one on T.V.
- -------- --
TONIGHT
7:30 P.M.
THE VIETNAM FILM SERIES
continues with a portrayal of one of the oldest
legends of Vietnam-the beautiful story of
"THE JADE HEART"
followed by comments of Mrs. Le Thi Anh
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Deiphine Seyrig seduces Leaud in
one of the most erotic, nonsex
scenes I've ever seen In a movie."
subscribe To
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R
STARTS TOMORROW!
NED'S BOOKSTORE
YPSI LAN T I
This new store carries more trade (non-text) books
than any other in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area.
Unusual 1970 calendars, thousands of paperbacks,
lots of them used, some hardbacks.
10% OFF
ON ALL BOOKS
PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE
WED., THURS., NOV. 12, 13
Mon.-Thurs.-9-9; Fri.-9-6; Sat.-1 2-5:30
"'EASY RIDER' IS TERRIBLY POWERFUL! IT GIVES ME CHILLS!"
-RICHARD GOLDSTEIN. N.Y. TIMES
"AN HISTORIC MOVIE!" "AN ELOQUENT FILM." "THE REAL THING!"
-RICHARD SCHICKEL. LIFE -ROLAND GELATT, SATURDAY REVIEW -PENELOPE GILLIATT, THE NEW YORKER
"I COULDN'T SHAKE WHAT I'D SEEN.""THE IMPACT IS DEVASTATING!"
-REX REED, HOLIDAY MAGAZINE -JUDITH CRIST, NEW YORK MAGAZINE
"EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT!" "PROVOCATIVE AND AFFECTING."
-NEW REPUBLIC -THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
"ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL I'VE EVER SEEN."
-HOWARD SMITH,.VILLAGE VOICE
"HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL"'"GO.SQUIRM!"
-PAGEANT MAGAZINE -LOOK MAGAZINE-
"WILL KNOCK YOU OUT OF YOUR SEAT!"
"BRILLIANT!" "STUNNING!" "BRILLIANT!"
-THE VILLAGER -CBS RADIO - WASHINGTON POST
"A VIBRANT, BRUTAL VISUAL ESSAY."
-PLAYBOY
"ASTONISHINGLY PERFECT!" "PERFECTION!"
-ARCHER WINSTEN. NEW YORK POST - GANNETT NEWSPAPERS
"BEAUTIFUL AND HORRIFYING.""REMARKABLE !"
-PARENTS MAGAZINE -SEVENTEEN
"A MAJOR MOVIE, A RAKEHELL FILM!"
"AN ELOQUENT, IMPORTANT MOVIE!"
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